


Hiding Something

by SkinnyProcrastinator



Series: CurvyPragmatist One-shots [2]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-15
Packaged: 2018-04-14 20:30:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4578978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkinnyProcrastinator/pseuds/SkinnyProcrastinator
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The second of my one-shot prompts, the original prompt will be at the bottom of the fic to avoid spoilers. Feel free to submit a prompt on my tumblr page by searching for a-e-radley, which is where you will see these fics at least a day before I post them on here ;)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hiding Something

Emma knew that Regina was hiding something she just didn’t know what that something was. The curse had broken six months ago and since then things had been quiet, or as quiet as a recently cursed town full of story book characters could be. 

Regina had initially made a couple of attempts to integrate herself back into society but they were met with wariness by the rest of the townsfolk so she had soon retreated back to her home. Henry opted to live with Emma at the crowded loft she shared with her parents leaving Regina to her own devices.

Over the past few weeks Henry had been to see his adoptive mother for short visits as he attempted to rebuild bridges, encouraged by Mary Margaret. 

“Something’s up,” Henry had told her one evening in a hushed whisper so his grandparents couldn’t hear.

“What do you mean?” Emma asked him.

“With Mom.. I mean.. Regina,” Henry said hesitantly.

“You can call her your mom, kid,” Emma commented with a kind smile. “She did raise you for ten years.”

“I know.” Henry ducked his head. 

“What do you mean something’s up?” Emma asked, redirecting the conversation.

“She’s hiding something,” Henry said grimly. He averted his eyes as if to distance himself from his indiscretion.

“Like what?” Emma frowned. She often wondered what Regina got up to all day in the house on her own. Not that she thought she was up to no good but she knew that would be the conclusion instantly jumped to by anyone else in the town.

“Promise you won’t tell anyone.” Henry’s eyes looked up at her pleadingly. It was clear that he also knew that the slightest whiff of controversy surrounding Regina would cause a ripple effect. 

“I promise.” Emma crouched down to eyelevel with Henry.

“She is hiding something in the utility room.”

“What?” Emma asked.

“I don’t know.” Henry shrugged. “She’s hiding it.”

“How do you know she’s hiding something?” Emma pressed.

“Because she won’t let me in there,” Henry answered obviously.

“Maybe she was doing laundry or it was a mess because she hadn’t cleaned it?” Emma suggested.

Henry gave Emma a look. “Emma, please, this is Mom we’re talking about.”

“Is it really so weird that she wouldn’t let you into the utility room?” Emma asked in confusion.

“Yes!” Henry hissed.

“Fine.” Emma sighed. “I’ll check it out, okay?”

Henry gratefully nodded and Emma was left to wonder just how she was supposed to do that.

* * *

Regina opened the front door and rolled her eyes once she noticed it was Emma who had knocked.

“What?”

“Hi.” Emma offered up a dazzling smile. “I thought I’d see how you are doing?”

Regina looked at Emma with confusion.

“How I’m doing?” Regina folded her arms and took a step out of the house to stand in front of the Sheriff. Emma presumed that Regina was trying to intimidate her but she was far too distracted wondering why Regina insisted on wearing skirt suits when she no longer worked.

“Yep,” Emma said with a pleasant smile. “You know, checking in. Like neighbours do.”

Regina blinked. “There are at least fifty houses between here and that dusty crawlspace you call a home.”

“We live in the same town,” Emma countered.

Regina narrowed her eyes. “What do you want?”

Emma let out a sigh. “Henry thinks that you’re hiding something in your utility room.”

Regina hesitated. “He.. he what?”

“He told me because he didn’t want everyone else to get all panicked about it. But he thinks that something is up,” Emma admitted.

“So.” Regina let out a deep breath. “You’re here to search my property? Invade my privacy?”

“No,” Emma said firmly. “I’m here to see if you’re okay and to let you know that Henry thinks you’re hiding something. I.. I know you’re trying to make things right between the two of you and I know that he’ll get obsessive over this if he thinks you are hiding something.”

Regina regarded Emma for a moment before inclining her head slightly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Emma said.

Regina remained impassive on the porch step, staring down at the ground and giving no indication that she intended to do anything else. Emma let out a sigh.

“Right. Well, I’ll be going then,” Emma said softly. 

Regina gave a minute nod and Emma turned and left the house.

* * *

“Emma.”

Emma turned over in bed and hugged the pillow tighter to her chest.

“Emma.”

“Emma, wake up.”

Emma opened an eye and winced at the sight of Henry standing in front of her. She reached her hand out and turned the alarm clock around to see the time.

“Kid, it’s three in the morning, what do you want?” 

“She asked me to get something from the utility room when I went over there after school today,” Henry told her.

“Congratulations,” Emma sulked as she turned over and closed her eyes again.

Henry padded around the bed and spoke again, “there was nothing there.”

“Great, so she’s not up to anything, goodnight.”

“Whatever it was she’s moved it to the garage,” Henry said. 

Emma groaned. “Henry, why are we talking about this at three in the morning?”

“I don’t want grandma and grandpa to hear, they’ll freak out and they’ll arrest mom or something,” Henry said worriedly.

Emma had to admit the kid was right, as much as she loved and respected her parents they were paranoid about Regina and the slightest sniff of anything untoward would create havoc.

“You have to check it out,” Henry told her.

“Okay, okay,” Emma agreed. “Whatever you want just please let me sleep.”

“Promise me,” Henry said seriously.

Emma sat up slightly in bed and regarded her son. “I promise I will check out whatever your mom may or may not be hiding in her garage.”

Henry nodded, satisfied with the promise and left Emma to her sleep.

* * *

It had taken a couple of days but eventually the perfect moment presented itself. Emma had seen Regina at the small supermarket in town and knew that she would be able to quickly check out the garage while the older woman was out of the house.

She hid the cruiser around a side street and stealthily made her way up the street towards the Mayor’s house. The last thing she needed was a nosey neighbour seeing the Sheriff breaking into the Evil Queen’s house. 

At the garage door Emma crouched down and produced a lock picking kit from her jacket pocket and started to insert the thin bars into the lock. After a little manoeuvring the lock clicked and Emma opened the door and quickly stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

She blindly reached out of the pull cord that she knew was somewhere by the door and when her hands finally found it she pulled to illuminate the dark space. As the overhead lights came on Emma’s eyes blew wide open in shock. Emma’s mouth fell open as she slowly walked further into the garage to take it all in. 

All the usual garage items had been moved to a corner and now all the shelves were taken up with baked goods. Pies, pasties, tarts, flans.. Emma had never seen so many in one place, not even in the largest of supermarkets. Floor to ceiling was stacked with home baking. 

Emma walked around the space as she blinked and took it all in, there were hundreds and hundreds of items. She briefly wondered if Regina has poisoned them all but she quickly put the thought to one side, the brunette had shown no sign of malice since the curse had broken.

“So.” Regina’s voice startled Emma and she spun around to see Regina step into the garage and close the door behind her. “You couldn’t help yourself, you had to invade my privacy.”

“Henry was worried,” Emma said sincerely. She pointed to the shelves, “are you supplying Walmart?”

Regina almost looked embarrassed. “I think you should leave, Miss Swan.”

“Regina, what’s going on?”

Regina bristled. “I really don’t see what business that is of yours.”

“Did you bake all of this?” Emma asked, ignoring Regina’s harsh words.

Regina looked nervously around the garage before nodding silently.

“Why did you bake all of this?” Emma asked carefully.

“I.. I don’t wish to discuss it,” Regina said. “I don’t believe I’m committing any crime here, am I Sheriff?”

“Well.” Emma looked around. “When it goes off you might get in trouble with the health inspector.”

“It’s all preserved by magic,” Regina answered.

“So, it won’t go off?” Emma questioned.

At Regina’s silence Emma sighed. “Regina, please, tell me what’s going on here. Henry woke me up at three in the morning to get me to check up on what you’re doing. If I tell him you’ve baked a million cheesecakes he’s going to think I’m crazy. Or you’re crazy.”

“I bake when I’m nervous,” Regina suddenly whispered.

“W-what?” Emma stuttered softly.

Regina looked up at Emma’s face and sighed. “I bake when I’m nervous,” Regina repeated a little louder.

Emma looked around the stacks of baking. “You.. must be pretty nervous.”

“I have a lot of time on my own,” Regina said. “And Henry comes occasionally but usually to check I haven’t turned evil again. There’s.. a lot of time to think.”

Emma looked at Regina and in a split second realised that they had crossed some invisible barrier. They were having an honest conversation and Regina was lowering her defences and letting Emma see the real woman beneath the bravado.

“I often wondered how you managed to spend all that time on your own,” Emma admitted.

Regina let out a small chuckle. “It’s hardly by choice.”

“Maybe,” Emma swallowed. “Maybe I could come and visit the next time Henry comes?”

Regina looked at Emma in confusion. “You?”

“Sure. I know I’m not much company but.. well, I like lemon meringue pie.”

Regina chuckled. “You’re in luck, I have about twenty-two of them.”

“Then I’ll make sure it’s a long visit,” Emma said with a smile.

“I’d.. I’d like that,” Regina confessed.

* * *

A few days later Emma joined Henry on one of his visits to 108 Mifflin Street and soon enough was frequently visiting Regina both with and without Henry. After Regina had taken the first step Emma found it easier to connect with the woman and realised that they had a lot in common. 

Over the weeks and months that followed Emma helped to convince Regina to leave the house more often and invited her to town events and convinced her to socialise more. 

Slowly but surely the townsfolk became more welcoming of Regina, especially when she brought several containers of baked goods to every event she was invited to.

Emma did her best to consume some of Regina’s enormous stockpile of food that was magically preserved in time in the garage. She noticed that the additions to the stockpile became less frequent as Regina became more comfortable in the community.

* * *

“Mom’s hiding something again,” Henry told Emma quietly one evening.

“What’s that, kid?” Emma asked with a curious frown.

“I think she’s seeing someone,” Henry said.

Emma blushed. “What.. what makes you think that?”

“When I went to see her after school today her hair was a mess and she looked like she was getting dressed.” Henry ruffled his nose. “I mean, she seems happy and everything so that’s good but I don’t know why she’s gotta hide it.”

Emma licked her lips nervously. “Sit down, kid. I’ve got something to tell you..”

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Original Prompt: Regina bakes when she’s nervous


End file.
